The University of Southern Mississippi on Saturday will dedicate its new Center for American Indian Research and Studies.

The dedication is scheduled for 1 p.m. on the Hattiesburg campus.

Center director Tammy Greer, a member of the United Houma Nation tribe of southeastern Louisiana, says the opening of the center is the first step toward developing a degree program in American Indian Studies.

Greer says the center will also allow USM to partner with Indian tribes on program to help American Indians.

Currently, there are 28 state and federally funded tribes in the Southeast. With about 9,000 members, the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians is the only recognized tribe in Mississippi.